In your skin

A cry for help

"How are you, Snivy?" Black asked as soon as the four boys had entered Potter's room. Severus rolled his eyes and sat down on the bed, saying nothing for now. After that very awkward breakfast, the four decided to 'catch up' by being alone in Potter's bedroom.

"You're still Snape... You weren't able to talk James out of it, were you?" Lupin asked, and he seemed a bit disappointed. Severus shrugged. By now, Potter had already learned his lesson.

"No, I was not. And now he's probably at my house" he said seriously, looking at the window. He didn't wish to be there in Potter's place but... He felt a little bad for not actually doing anything to stop it. He was used with his father and mother. Potter was used with luxury and love. "Paying all his sins"

"What?" Pettigrew asked, his eyes wide. The boy was afraid of everything. Severus wondered how the hell he was put in Gryffindor.

"Yeah, what do you mean by that Snape?" Lupin asked, while Black just rolled his eyes. He probably thought Severus was lying or making it sound worst than it really was.

"Nothing. I mean nothing. Now please leave me alone. I know you three don't want to be around me and the feeling is reciprocated" he said coldly, to which Black rolled his eyes once more.

"You're not stupid. We can't just simply stay away from you. This is James' house and his parents would notice. So we will have to put up with you and you with us" he said simply, smirking down at him. Severus could feel Black's mind working on a plan to annoy him.

And that was when an owl poked on the window. They looked up, and Severus opened the glass so it could come in. He pulled the letter out of the owl's beak and opened it up, while the other three boys looked over his shoulders to read it as well.

'SNAPE

HELP'

"Who missed daddy?" Tobias repeated, and James looked up at him just like a prey looks at their hunter. "A cat bit your tongue boy? Talk to me!" the man yelled, leaning down and pulling James up by the collar of the sweater he wore.

Where was Gryffindor when he needed?

"H-hi dad" he gasped out, standing up in front of the guy, that wasn't that tall, but surely scared him senselessly. He was a head higher than James - in this case, Snape, making him a head and a half taller James' actual size - as pale as Snape, his eyes dark and mean looking, black bags under them from drinking and not enough sleep, his hair was short and greasy, brown coloured, his nose was huge, even bigger than Snape's, his mouth was dry and cut in several parts from possible drunk fights, his cheeks were hollowed, he was thin, but clearly strong, with long arms and legs, and he wore clothes that obviously weren't washed for days and were as old as Merlin himself.

The man was a mess. Suddenly James was very surprised that Snape was like he was, having lived with a man like that all his life.

Then, Eileen entered the room. Now under the bright light of day - morning, almost afternoon - he could see that she wasn't so different from her husband. A petite woman, skin almost grey, dark brown eyes, black hair, thin body and face, bags under her eyes, bruises and cuts around her arms and shoulders, a dress that was dirty and ripped, lips pale and thin and dry. The pair seemed to be taken directly out of a freak show.

"Tobias, take your hands off him" Eileen said in an angry voice that didn't even convince James that she actually cared. Tobias looked at her with a growl, letting go of his sweater and going to her direction.

"You keep your mouth shut, woman. It's not like you give a crap about him either! You like to pretend you're this great mother figure but I've seen how you act when I'm not around! I should get him and get away from you, your freak!" he said, slapping her cheek hard enough to make a red mark. She growled and reached down, but couldn't find whatever she was looking for, so she walked up to him and tried to slap him back. He was way stronger and agile however, and held her arm up, before pushing her out of the room. "Get away from here woman! This is father to son talk" he said, before closing and locking the door. Oh damn. Damn damn damn damn damn.

"Stop doing that. Stop hurting my mother" James said, but his voice was shaking too much to actually sound like he intended. Tobias, however, didn't seem very pleased.

"Oh. Now you're defending that whore? Now that I'm here, trying to be nice, you're defending that bitch that gave you this... this condition?" he asked, but before he could continue, James raised an eyebrow. Finally, Gryffindor was helping out.

"Condition? Wait a second. Being a wizard is not a condition. It's normal. Just like being a muggle, or a giant, or a mermaid, or anything else. All those things exist and it's normal. And you're the one wrong for thinking it's a condition. Being a wizard is grea-" James then stopped, because Tobias had had enough of his talking, stopping it with a hand around his neck.

"Shut. Up. Boy. You have a condition, but it can be cured. Yes. I've made my research" he said slowly, a creepy smirk on his face. "Doctors call this the Merlin Syndrome. But any and every syndrome can be treated with a bit of shock treatment. I'm just getting the money to send you and your mother to the asylum. Yes. And I'll be free from the two of you as soon as possible"

James' heart was beating extremely fast in his chest. In all his years at Hogwarts, not once he had felt so much in danger. Not even when he first saw Lupin as a werewolf. That man, Tobias, was completely mental, and Eileen didn't seem to help one bit. She didn't even try to get inside again. He had to do something. He had to get out of there, quickly.

But it was no use. As he tried to escape, Tobias was done with the fun, and gave him a punch on the face that made him fall unconscious on the ground. When James woke up again, it was afternoon, and the window had been surrounded by bars. Magical ones.

He could listen footsteps coming upstairs and grabbed the first paper he saw, writing on it before sending it through an owl that was just by the window.

He needed help, and he needed it now.